This is a Guerlain that has taken me by surprise. I think individual experiences, especially those associated with perfumes bearing geographical names also establish olfactory biases; and in my case, Shanghai connoted some slightly cold musky base evocative of silks, maybe ornated with some oriental motifs. Well, instead, I got a clean, friendly bakery which could be from anywhere in the world. To my nose, Thierry Wasser’s Shanghai opens with a lovely, blanched almond that has a pleasant and wearable balance between creaminess and airiness achieved by its anise. Given my crazy body chemistry and my personal perception of notes, both almond and anise may hint at a danger zone from time to time. Almond, or any nutty smell, has the potential to smell too burnt on me whereas anise, and especially Guerlains anise, turns me into a little bottle of Greek ouzo. Indeed, this is the main reason why I was left to enjoy Petite Noire on others only. Luckily, nothing goes haywire in this bakery and I am able to enjoy the delicate coziness of almond, vanilla and a bit of warm, sweet milk with cardamom. My entire experience of Shanghai is centred around this theme and no matter how much I squint, I am unable to get flowers, no ylang-ylang, beloved mimosas or jasmine for me here. I only get a bit of doughy iris that contributes to the bakery theme, this time with a freshly baked bread vibe. The rest is mostly linear on me, with the scent just fading and not shape-shifting. It makes me think of both Bois Farine and Leau DHiver with all edges erased and all corners softened. Sampling Shanghai is a pleasant experience but given the sillage – or lack of sillage in my case- and super weak lasting power, I cannot imagine wearing it and getting the slightest whiff. I live in a dirty city with dirty city smells and Shanghai is simply too fragile to have any presence in that dirty world. I will wear my sample to bed, enjoy it and then remember it from time to time without missing it too much. Notes: star anise, orange blossom, almond, cardamom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, iris, mimosa, cedar, patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood. 3.5 lippies

Somewhat similar to the Moscow frgrance from the same collection but much lighter and without any character. It smells very watered down and its hard to even pick up any notes without applying it heavily. Really not worth the money.